Search results for "Leptospirosis"

Optimal treatment of leptospirosis: queries and projections.

2006

Although the global burden of leptospirosis remains enormous and new aspects of the disease are constantly recognised, little progress has been achieved in the field of leptospirosis therapeutics and queries regarding the utility of antibiotics in the late severe form of the disease remain. From the currently existing data, conclusions on the efficacy of antibiotic administration in severe or late disease cannot easily be drawn, since clinical trials have different selection criteria and may focus on Leptospira serovars with different virulence. However, as a rule the benefit of the doubt should apply. Moreover, new options, such as ceftriaxone, have a superior safety profile to penicillin.…

Frequency of exposure of endangered Caspian seals to Canine distemper virus, Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii

2017

Canine distemper virus (CDV), Leptospira interrogans, and Toxoplasma gondii are potentially lethal pathogens associated with decline in marine mammal populations. The Caspian Sea is home for the endangered Caspian seal (Pusa caspica). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, CDV caused a series of mortality events involving at least several thousand Caspian seals. To assess current infection status in Caspian seals, we surveyed for antibodies to three pathogens with potential to cause mortality in marine mammals. During 2015-2017, we tested serum samples from 36, apparently healthy, Caspian seals, accidentally caught in fishing nets in the Caspian Sea off Northern Iran, for antibodies to CDV, L. …

Survey on the prevalence of leptospira infections in the Italian population.

1994

This investigation is the first nationwide survey on the circulation of leptospira infections in human beings in Italy. In nine out of twenty Italian regions, representative samples of the population were investigated for the presence of leptospira infections. Unexpectedly, leptospira infections were found to be widespread, the number of cases being much higher than the diagnosed clinical cases. There were found to be high, medium, and low risk areas. On the whole, the risk for the rural population was no higher than the risk for urban dwellers; leisure activities, contact with animals and residence on the plain versus residence in the hills were important risk factors. There was an unident…

Evaluation of an IgM-ELISA test for the diagnosis of human leptospirosis

2004

Louseborne relapsing fever in young migrants, sicily, Italy, july-september 2015

2016

To the Editor: During the early 20th century, at the end of World War I, and during World War II, louseborne relapsing fever (LBRF) caused by Borrelia recurrentis was a major public health problem, especially in eastern Europe and northern Africa (1,2). Currently, poor living conditions, famine, war, and refugee camps are major risk factors for epidemics of LBRF in resource-poor countries, such as those in the Horn of Africa (3,4). Increased migration from resource-poor countries and war/violence create new routes for spread of vectorborne diseases. Recently, several cases of LBRF have been reported among asylum seekers from Eritrea in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany (5–8). All of…

Comparison of two PCR methods for detection of Leptospira interrogans in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues

2012

In this study we compared two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods using either 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) or 23S rRNA gene primers for the detection of different Leptospira interrogans serovars. The performance of these two methods was assessed using DNA extracted from bovine tissues previously inoculated with several bacterial suspensions. PCR was performed on the same tissues before and after the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedding procedure (FFPE tissues). The 23S rDNA PCR detected all fresh and FFPE positive tissues while the 16S rDNA-based protocol detected primarily the positive fresh tissues. Both methods are specific for pathogenic L. interrogans. The 23S-based PCR method successfu…

Human leptospirosis cases in Palermo Italy. The role of rodents and climate

2018

Many regions of the world are increasingly exposed to leptospirosis due to poverty, global warming and high urban density. Here, we report a molecular survey for pathogenic Leptospira spp. in rodents and two symptomatic human cases of leptospirosis in the city of Palermo, Italy.Four rodent species were captured in six areas of the city, and a molecular analysis for pathogenic Leptospira spp. on DNA from the kidney samples showed a different prevalence of leptospirosis in all the species of rodents. In addition, two human cases that occurred in May and October of 2009 in the city were also reported. A 67-year-old woman recovered after antibiotic treatment, whereas a 71-year-old woman did not…